Salt Kitchen & Bar - Wentworth By The Sea — Restaurant in New Castle

Overall a 2/5, went here for some drinks and light food. Overall a disappointment.

Pros: Presentation of food was fantastic (see pictures), eating environment very intimate and beautiful with well spaced options of tables, lounge chairs, high tables, and large bar seating. Eggplant Parmesan Campania Sandwich ($12) was delicious. Meiomi Chardonnay was refreshing ($11/glass)

Cons: Overall service was lacking (especially considering what one would expect from Wentworth by the Sea). Simple things that would one expect were not done: not placing the drinks on the coasters that were already placed for each patron on the table (ok I'm picky but it was literally an inch away from where you placed the drink...), not checking in a single time throughout the meal to refill water until after we were done eating and it was time to take our plates, and not offering enthusiastic or knowledgeable questions when we asked between two of the dishes. The Prosciutto Wrapped Maine Scallops ($12) was mediocre...actually pretty awful, the Wood Oven Roasted Meatballs ($10) was heavy on the salt and sauce and low on the actual meatball (I realize it's a starter but come on), and the Bruschetta ($10) was a bit too mushroom heavy for my taste (more ricotta salata and basil, less mushrooms). As for the drinks the Old Fashioned ($14) was served with a orange wedges and cherries (both in the drink and on the rim) so that right there is a no-no (I guarantee you anyone would prefer a singed orange twist not just the sliced oranges from the blue moon pile) and honestly for a $14 drink I shouldn't get just the standard small, soda ice cubes that melt...

For our 43rd Anniversary (it's today the 28th but we celebrated last night), we visited Salt at The Wentworth for THE FIRST TIME! We usually do the holiday celebrations there but have not eaten dinner.

First call out, because she made the evening SO lovely, is to our server Julia! Seriously, if you make a reservation, request her - I cannot say enough positive things about Julia.

We went at 5:30 with reservations (you need them) by 6:30 it was packed.

As for our meals, WOW. I'll let the photos speak for themselves with just a couple of comments.

Lobster Bisque - if I was alone, I would have LICKED THE BOWL. Lobster Fettuccine - first photo is pretty, started eating/stirring and then found this MASSIVE claw on the bottom - there was already A LOT of lobster meat and when I found the claw I thought - bummer, it's really big and will be tough - IT WAS NOT, and it was delicious. Mushroom Bucatini - this is the dish to get if you love mushrooms, it was so creamy and delicious! Pasta for each dish was fresh and cooked perfectly. I RARELY order dessert - just share whatever Jim gets but I ordered my own. Jim got the Alaskan Campfire - it had a massive marshmallow toasted on top, amazing ice cream, hot fudge, and flourless chocolate cake! I got the Not Quite a Brownie Sundae - just WOW. The cannoli ice cream was CRAZY GOOD. Cherry compote was PERFECT.

Price: $$$ - $$$$ but honestly, for a celebration it was worth every penny. We will...

This should have been less then a 4 star but every other visit has been enjoyable. This visit to Salt was nothing short of frustrating. James, our server, delivered one of the poorest dining experiences we've had in a long time. From start to finish, his timing was completely off — drinks were delayed, and food arrived cold (actually mocked me when I said my drink came 30 minutes late) I actually started a timer before dinner because my water glass had been empty for so long (33 minutes with a timer set not including my old fashion taking over 25 minutes ), and still no refill. When our meals were finally served, I expected at least a quick check-in or a water top-off. Instead, James vanished for another 15+ minutes. Completely unacceptable. As for the food, it was a complete miss. The steak came out cold, and the pork chops were barely warm — a huge disappointment, especially considering Salt's usual standards.

To be clear, this experience is not reflective of what Salt is capable of. We’ve hosted three large events here (25+ guests each time), and they’ve all been outstanding. But this particular night was a disaster from service to execution, and it left us walking away more than just disappointed — it left us second-guessing whether we’d return for anything less than a...